Page 14 of Forged in Peril

Just perfect.

CHAPTER

SIX

CAMERON

“What? Here? Okay. I’ll be there in two minutes,” Cameron half-shouted into his phone, hanging up without saying goodbye.

He shoved it into his pocket and tore out of his office, not bothering to lock up behind him. He rushed down the hallway past several empty rooms, ignoring the doors to the elevators as he ran.

He took the stairs two at a time, glad to be heading down instead of up. Anger coursed through him, urging his body to move faster, though Asher had assured him that the scene was clear and that they wouldn’t leave Bristol’s side.

As he pushed through the heavy double doors and into the parking garage, he forced himself to slow to a fast walk, giving his burning lungs a couple of seconds to recover before he scared the poor woman all over again. He glanced over the space as he walked, noticing nothing out of place.

Whoever had done this was probably familiar with the basic after hours security protocols of the FBS guards. His men weren’t the type to slack on patrols, but they only posted two guards on most normal nights, and it was a five-story building. Walking through it took time.

The vandal could have just gotten lucky, but according to his brother’s report, he had done a good deal of damage to the car and two security cameras, and would have taken several minutes to complete his task. It was more likely that he’d known when the patrols would be taking place.

Cameron made a mental note to bring in additional men and change up their routine as of tomorrow. Until they figured out who had done this, his whole staff could be at risk, not to mention the further danger to Bristol herself.

Finally, he reached the far end of the parking area.

Ben and Asher both stood near the car, fingers resting lightly on their holstered weapons, but he hardly noticed them.

Bristol was leaning up against a pillar, staring down at the floor. He could see her hands shaking at her sides as he approached her. When she finally looked up at him, she was pale and terrified, her eyes rimmed red with threatened tears.

“Are you okay?” he asked, cringing at the words as soon as they escaped his lips.

Of course she wasn’t okay. Some psycho just trashed her car in the parking garage of a security company, where she should have been completely safe.

She gave him a weak attempt at a smile.

“I’m fine,” she said, drawing her arms over her chest. “It’s Boris I’m worried about.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Ha. Boris the Taurus,” he said, catching on. “I like it.”

Her pretty smile broadened just a little.

“Are we going to call the police?” Ben asked no one in particular. Cameron ventured a couple of steps closer to Bristol, though he kept his arms hanging loose at his sides, not wanting to touch her and risk making her even more nervous than she already was.

“I’d rather not get them involved,” Bristol said softly, her eyes retreating to her toes once again. Cameron noticed Asher about to speak and gave him a warning look.

This attack was personal, that much was obvious. And that meant that it was very possible that Bristol had some idea who was behind it, and her own reasons for not wanting to discuss the matter with police. If he tried to push her now, he’d risk scaring her off. If he and his brothers handled the matter in-house, however, he might be able to convince her to open up and accept help.

Fortunately, both Asher and Ben seemed to understand without another word that they shouldn’t push it. Despite the amount of ribbing and bickering–and the odd near brawl–that went on between him and his brothers, he knew that they always had his back when it counted.

“I understand,” Cam said. “If it’s okay with you, though, I’d like to give our liaison at San Antonio PD a heads-up about the situation tomorrow. Allie won’t get on your case, but at least there will be a quiet record if anything else ever happens.”

Which it wouldn’t. Not if he could help it.

“I guess that makes sense,” Bristol said, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced. Cameron didn’t want to make her feel pressured into anything, but he had to put her safety first, even if she had competing concerns that were unknown to him.

“Allie Parker is solid,” Ben put in, his usually gruff voice going gentle. “She’s been our biggest ally in the department. If Cameron tells her to keep her distance, she will.”

Cameron gave his brother a quick nod of thanks.

“Okay,” Bristol said, meeting Ben’s eyes and giving him a quick smile before turning back to Cameron. “It’s probably a good idea. In the meantime, though, I’m really tired. I’d just like to call a cab and go home.”

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